Clashes break out over mosque toilet in Aligarh, two dead, 25 families flee

At least 25 Muslim families have fled an Aligarh village after a dispute over a mosque toilet sparked communal clashes and arson that left two people dead, officials said on Saturday.
A firewood shop was burnt down on Friday night despite additional security personnel deployed in Khurrampur Nagla Mewati village, about 20 km from Aligarh.
Sources that said about 155 Muslims who fled the village are unwilling to return as tension ran high in the area. The village had an estimated 2,000 people before the clashes on November 9.
One person, identified as Ramveer Sharma (50), died on Thursday in the hospital, while another person, identified only as Hasin, was killed in crossfire during the clashes. Sharma was injured and admitted to a hospital where he died, officials said.
Sharma, 50, had allegedly led a group of Hindus to demolish the toilet attached to a mosque when the clashes started. The toilet was constructed on his land, allegedly without his knowledge.
The death of Sharma sparked fresh tension when several BJP leaders reached the hospital with their supporters and later blocked a key road with the body.
The blockade was lifted only after the administration stepped in.
Family members and his associates said he had been seeking the administration’s nod for demolishing the toilet for a long time.
Aligarh district magistrate Rishikesh Bhaskar Yashod said he has sought documents to clear the confusion over the toilet land.
“We have assured the family of action on their demand... A decision will be taken soon,” he told HT.
Hindu Mahasabha leader Sachin Sharma blamed officials for the situation and demanded sacking of the Vijaygarh police station officer.
“Since six months we were making rounds of administration offices to get the toilet removed from our land but they did not act,” said Suman, wife of Ramveer.
Muslims, however, blamed Hindu leaders of politicising the incident.
“Politicians, particularly from BJP, are giving it (the incident) a communal colour. As MPs and MLAs have interfered in the incident, the administration is under pressure. Muslim families have deserted the village leaving behind their domestic animals. We will only return to the village when the administration guarantees us security,” said Aslam, a relative of Hasin.
Another villager, Ashok Singh, said the clashes has broken the village’s centuries-old communal harmony. “The administration should deal with the incident in an impartial way,” he added.
-
Ludhiana: Honey-trap gang busted, two women among four held
Tibba police busted a honey-trap racket and arrested four persons, including two women, on Saturday. One of the members of the gang has yet to be caught, the police said. The FIR against them has been registered on the complaint of Nagendra Yadav of New Vijay Nagar. A fabric manufacturer, Yadav, told the police that he runs a factory near Puneet Nagar. On Friday evening, he was going to his factory on a scooter.
-
Ludhiana witnesses a pleasant turn of weather
Bringing relief from the scorching heat, the thunderstorm witnessed in the city on Saturday evening turned the weather pleasant. Partly cloudy weather prevailed in the city since morning and rains, along with strong winds, brought down the mercury levels in the evening. As per the meteorological department, Chandigarh, the maximum temperature in the city was recorded at 40 degrees Celsius while the minimum was 27 degrees.
-
Ludhiana: Jewellery shop employee booked for theft
Division number 8 police have booked an employee of a jewellery shop for allegedly stealing items worth lakhs on Friday. Akash has been identified as Akash of Chaura Bazaar. The FIR has been registered following the statement of Lalit Chopra of Rishi Nagar. The complainant said that on Friday, they were present in the store and were attending to customers.
-
Congress leader booked for cleaning statue of Rajiv Gandhi with his turban
The joint co-coordinator of Kisan Congress, a wing of All India Congress Committee, has been booked for hurting religious sentiments by cleaning a statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi installed in a park in Salem Tabri with Gursimran Singh Mand's turban. The action against Gursimran Singh Mand has been taken around 10 months after the incident. Mand had reached the spot and cleaned the statue with his turban, which sparked a row.
-
Ludhiana: Police issue advisory against fraudsters posing as officials
The cybercrime wing of Punjab Police has issued an advisory to mobile phone users to be cautious of fraudsters who have found new ways to trap and dupe people. These fraudsters pose as officers and dupe people by sending them suspicious links on WhatsApp. Three such cases have been reported in Ludhiana in the past 45 days wherein fraudsters duped people by impersonating officials. The police have solved only one case till now.